Closure device and process for the manufacture thereof



Oct. 13, 1959 P. H. GALLAY 2,908,418

CLOSURE DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF Filed May 28,1956 INVENTOR PIERRE HENRI GALLAY WM, flu m United States Patent iCLOSURE DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF Pierre HenriGallay, Paris,

Switzerland, a corporation of Switzer- Application May 28, 1956, SerialNo. 587,843 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-27) The object of this invention is aclosure device, characterized by a body made of plastic material,provided internally with a thread enabling a bung to be screwed into it,said body being inserted into an opening provided in the wall of ametallic container and having for its tight joint with the container amoulded collar forming one end of the plastic body and an expandedcircular bulge located at the other end of the body, said bulgesqueezing between itself and the said collar an annular part of the wallof the container.

The invention also comprises a process for the manufacture of such aclosure device. This process is characterized in that a body of aplastic material is moulded, said body having a generally cylindricalshape and at one of its ends a collar, said body having further in itsinner part a thread extending from said end over a part of its heightand following this thread a smooth cylindrical part, in that a metallicsleeve is placed in said body Withinsaid cylindrical part and in thatafter having inserted the body with the sleeve into an opening of thecontainer, said sleeve is expanded in order to form by a deformation ofthe adjacent part of the body a circular bulge, said bulge squeezingtightly between itself and the said collar an annular part of thecontainer and maintaining its form thanks to the deformation of thesleeve.

The attached drawing shows, as an example, one of the possibleembodiments of closure devices according to the invention and is also anexample of one of the possible uses to be made of the manufacturingprocess embodied by the invention. The various figures shown aresections.

Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 refer to various stages of the above manufacturingprocess.

Fig. 6 shows the manufactured closure device secured to the containerswall.

The closure device shown on Fig. 6 embodies a plastic body 1, internallyprovided with a thread 2 so as to take an externally threaded bung 3,provided with a ringshaped hollow 4, wherein lugsone of which is shownas 5-protrude, thus enabling the bung to be screwed in or out of theclosure device, by hand, or with a suitable tool. 6 is part of thecontainers wall, with an opening shaped to take the plastic body 1.

Wall 6 is provided with a suitable, ring-shaped depression 7, followed,further inside, by a cylindrical part 8. At one end of the plastic body1, a moulded, external, ring-shaped collar 9 rests upon the bottom ofthe annular depression 7. Thus, face 10 of body 1 lies flush with theexternal face 11 of the containers wall 6. At its other end, body 1shows an external, circular bulge 12, obtained by expansion, asdescribed below, squeezing between itself and the collar 9, thecylindrical part 8 of the containers wall 6. More precisely, bulge 12presses against the lower, bell-mouthed part 13 of the cylindrical part8, while collar 9 presses upon part 7. This results in a tight securingof the closure device in the containers Wall.

Patented Oct. 13, 1959 ICC The internal thread 2 covers only part of theheight of body 1, beginning at its end provided with the circular ring9. The smooth cylindrical part of body 1, contiguous to the threadedpart, is provided with a sleeve 14, located, as can be seen in Fig. 6,at the level of bulge 12, of which said sleeve has the shape, being inclose contact, with the inside of that part of the plastic body.

Said closure device, when intact, has a bottom 15 which is part of body1, as it is moulded of one piece with the said body. A circular groove16 provides a weak spot in the bottom of part 15, enabling this bottomto yield easily under suitable pressure; thereupon, after removal of thethreaded bung 3, access is gained to the containers inside. Sleeve 14has an internal, flat, annular part 17, resting against the end of bung15. The opening in part 17 is nearly of the same size as the externaldiameter of the groove 16.

The bung 3 shows, at one end, a raised shoulder 18 which, when the bungis screwed home, rests upon the fiat, annular part 17 of the metallicsleeve 14.

The manufacture of the illustrated closure device would be as follows:Moulding of the plastic body, the section of which is shown by Fig. 1,which will, in the end, result in body 1 of Fig. 6. The main part 19 ofthe body is cylindrical in shape and provided, at one end, with anexternal, annular collar 9. Inside the body, a thread is moulded,extending upon part only of the cylinders height, beginning at the endprovided with the collar 9; a smooth cylindrical part 20 followsthereupon. The body shown in Fig. 1 is inserted into an opening in themetallic containers wall 6, corresponding exactly to the shape shown inFig. 6 A metallic sleeve 21 (Fig. 3) is located, as shown in Fig. 4, atthe bottom of body 1. Said sleeve is provided with an interior, annularpart 17 and with a cylindrical part 22, the external diameter of whichcorresponds to the internal diameter of the cylindrical part 20 ofFig. 1. Thereupon, sleeve 21 is expanded externally, as indicated byarrows 23 of Fig. 5, thus forming, at the lower part of the plastic body1, a circular bulge 12, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The expansion of thesleeve. 14 to the shape shown in Fig. 6 is a permanent one. Thisexpansion correspondingly shapes bulge 12 against the natural elasticityof the plastic body 1, which tends to regain its original shape. Part 8of the shaped containers wall is thus pressed between collar 9 and bulge12, firmly securing the closure device to the container. After screwinghome bung 3, the closure device is ready for use. To gain access to theinside of the container, it is only necessary to unscrew the bung and toremove the center part 15 (Fig. 6).

If it is desired to remove the whole closure device, for instance, inorder to insert a new device after refilling the container, it willsuflice to cut through sleeve 14; thereupon, bulge 12 will recede backto its original form, as a consequence of its natural elasticity, andthe whole closure device can easily be removed from the opening in Wall6. A new closure can then be inserted, as described above.

What I claim is:

l. The combination of a container wall having a circular aperturedefined by a cylindrical wall depending from the container wall into thecontainer, said cylindrical wall having a ledge therein the surface ofwhich is substantially parallel to the container wall, and saidcylindrical wall having a bell mouth on the inner end thereof, a closuredevice for said aperture comprising a plastic cylindrical member of alength greater than the length of said cylindrical wall, a collarprojecting radially outwardly from one end of said cylindrical member, adisc integral with the other end of said cylindrical member,

integral therewith, the part of said sleeve closest to said disc beingbulged out, and said sleeve having an inwardly extending flange on theend next to said disc, and a threaded bung threadable into saidthreaded'end of said plastic cylindrical member and having a shoulder onthe inner end thereof, said plastic cylindrical member being set in theaperture in the container wall with the flange thereon seated on saidledge and the inner end extending past said bell mouth, said sleeve insaid inner end of said cylindrical member bulging out the plasticcylindrical member around the bell mouth to seat said flange againstsaid ledge, and the flange on said sleeve against said disc, and saidbung being threaded into said plastic cylindrical member with saidshoulder against the flange on said sleeve.

2. The combination of a container Wall having a circular aperturetherein defined by a cylindrical wall depending from the container wallinto the container, said cylindr-ical wall having a ledge therein thesurface of which is substantially parallel to the container wall, andsaid cylindrical wall having a bell mouth on the inner end thereof, anda closure device for said aperture comprising a plastic cylindricalmember of a length greater than the length of said cylindrical wall, acollar projecting 4 radially outwardly from one end of said cylindricalmember, a disc integral with the other end of said -cylindrical member,said disc having a weakened portion for enabling part of the disc 'to beeasily removed, the side of said plastic cylindrical member beingthreaded adjacent the end from which said collar projects, and a sleevefitted into said plastic cylindrical member at the end having the discintegral therewith, the part of said sleeve closest to said disc beingbulged out, and said sleeve having an inwardly extending flange on theend next to said disc, said plastic cylindrical member being set in theaperture in the container wall with the flange thereon seated on saidledge and the inner end extending past said bell mouth, said sleeve insaid inner end of said cylindrical member bulging out the plasticcylindrical member around the bell mouth to seat said flange againstsaid ledge, and the flange on said sleeve against said disc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS626,069 Longden May 30, 1899 799,821 Young et al. Sept. 19, 19052,242,671 Godber May 20, 1941 2,303,578 Porter Dec. 1, 1942 2,364,194Cortner Dec. 5, 1944 2,653,611 Smith Sept. 29, 1953 2,772,017 Rieke Nov.27, 1956

